Sources 101: Finding Sources

Whether or not to use Google to search for resources depends on the types of sources you are looking for. As a general rule, Google is good to use to find popular or contemporary sources but probably isn't good to yield much in the sense of scholarly or historical sources.

Google can also be good to find organizations that could point you in the right direction of resources, such as professional groups (Society of, Association of, etc.), museums, libraries, colleges, or universities that may have additional information available. 

Not in the way you're probably thinking of. As a rule, you should not consider Wikipedia a source on its own. However, you can use Wikipedia as a way to potentially find other reliable sources. Wikipedia articles are created by community editors compiling information from other sources like you do when writing a paper. You can tell where information is sourced from due to Wikipedia's use of endnotes, the blue numbers in brackets at the ends of sentences.

If you hover over the note, it will tell you where the information in front of the footnote is from and if you click it, it will take you to the full citation for the original source at the bottom of the article. Using these citations, you can potentially find sources that would be usable in your research. However, you should not use a source Wikipedia uses if you do not have full access to the source; and again, you should not use Wikipedia as a source on its own. 

If you are in need of a broad overview of a topic, use academic online encyclopedias instead, such as Britannica Reference Center, Britannica Academic, EBSCO Reference, Ancient and Medieval History, Modern World History, Issues & Controversies, and Today's Science, which are encyclopedias similar to Wikipedia or have encyclopedia-style articles, but are held to rigorous publication standards and cannot be edited by the public. 

Advanced search:  a search that requests multiple details regarding the search terms entered and the results desired in order to provide a more narrowed and accurate search. Is generally an option in search databases and engines, but is not the default and must be opted into by the user. In RCTC's catalog, can be activated by clicking the "Advanced Search" to the right of the basic search bar. 

Basic search:  the default and standard search used in most search databases and engines. Takes the entered search terms literally and as individual words, and does not filter much out from the results. 

Boolean terms/operators/logic:  the words AND, NOT, and OR (all with capitalization) in a search allow a user to narrow down their search results by including multiple terms, excluding terms, and indicating acceptable substitutions for words; using parentheses, ( and ), can also narrow things down by sectioning off part of the search. 

Call number:  a specially created identifier for a physical item in a catalog that enables a user to find the item in its location; call numbers and locations are arranged in numeric or alphanumeric order. 

Catalog:  a specially organized listing of most of the resources a library has access to and that library users can access through the library. Online catalogs are designed to be searchable. RCTC's catalog can be found here.

Database:  a curated collection of items (generally online) that requires special permissions (generally gained by subscription) to access. Can be general or based on a specific topic. The list of databases RCTC has access to can be found here.

Interlibrary loan:  refers to the ability of libraries that have entered into specific agreements to send each other resources on a temporary basis for patrons who request items to use, and refers to the items in question. Also known as ILL.

Keywords:  terms or phrases used in a search for resources.

Known-item search:  searching for a specific item that you already know exists.

Search engine:  a system that conducts online searches for web-based content, such as Google or Bing. Users may or may not have access to the information in the results, and the results may or may not be reputable or real. 

Wiki:  a piece and system of online information that is created, sourced, edited, published, and maintained by members of the online community of the wiki in question. Is not limited to Wikipedia. 

Additional common vocabulary and definitions can be found here from Washington University in St. Louis and here from the University of Denver. 

There are many ways to find what you're looking for when you're looking for sources as easily as possible. Some easy ideas to keep in mind are: 

• Don't put your whole topic into the search bar all at once; instead, break it down into several key ideas, people, or concepts within it, and search each of those! For example, instead of looking for "why everyone should watch ice hockey in the Olympics" search for "winter Olympics history," "1980 Olympic hockey team,"ice hockey benefits," or "Minnesota Olympic team members." These are narrower searches that are still related to your topic, and will give you the information you are looking for.
• Avoid confusing the search. Don't use long search keywords if you can avoid it; this will cause the search to look for all of those words and can really limit your results; if you must search something long, such as a phrase, make sure you use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the search to tell the search to look for the exact wording and phrasing of your search, not just the individual words.
• Use search filters. Even if you don't realize it, you already know a lot about something you're looking for when you conduct a search, even if you're just starting. Using the built-in search filters/refinement options can really help narrow down your results. A quick and easy trick is to only look for results in the language you want to read it in, and take out the resource types you don't want (such as reviews) or where you want to view it (such as online). 
• Widen your search. If you can't find what you're looking for, try looking somewhere else! Try a different database or a different search term. Also, don't be afraid of interlibrary loaning items; so long as you're not requesting things at the last minute, this can be an absolutely amazing resource to gain access to items from across the state or even across the nation!

Also, keep in mind that these tricks are not just limited to library resources or research; you can use them in your everyday life as well! 

The way to find the most reliable resources (at no cost to you), is to search through RCTC's library catalog. The box on the top of the left column contains a link to do a basic search; just type in your keywords and click search! If you get overwhelmed with resources, you can scroll through the options on the lefthand side of the screen to narrow down your search results (an easy starting place is to go to "Publication Date" and limit the dates you want; for most fields, you probably won't want results from earlier than the 2000s!), or you can click "New Search" in the middle of the top of the screen in the green, and click "Advanced Search" on the right side of the search bar to answer prompts for more accurate search results. 

If you are having trouble with searching, please feel free to contact library staff or schedule an appointment with an RCTC librarian who is always happy to help!